Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-12-03

he had suddenly received IA violent blow
in the chest, and, what is more, cowed rs
though all the manhood had been taken
ont of him.
Then Aycsha spoke. Forgive me, my
guest" she said, softly, addressing him,
''if | have shocked thee with my justice"
Forgive thee, thou tiend,' roared poor
Leo, wringing his hands in his rage and
grief-'Forgive thee, thou murderess! BY
Heaven, | will kill thee if ! CAM
Nay, nay" she answered, in the same
soft voice, thou dost not understandable
time has come for thee TO learn. Thou art
my love, my Kallikrates-my beautiful,
my strong! For two thousand years, Kali
likrates. have | waited for thee. and now
at length thou hast come back to me; and
as for this woman pointing to the corpse,
'she stood between me and thee, and there.
lore | have removed her, kallikrates."
1T is an accursed licn' screamed Leo.
"My name is not Kailikratcs, | am Leo
Eincey; my ancestor was Kallikrates-at
least | believe he was"
"Ah, thou sayest it; thine ancestor was
kallikrates, and thou, even thou, art Kali
likrates come back-and mine own deal
lordt'
Il am not Kallikrates, and as for being
thy lord, or having anything to do with
thee, | had rather be the lord Of q fend
from hell, for she would be better than
, thou"
'SayeSt thou s~O-Sayest thou so. Kali.
krates? Nay, but thou hast not seen me
for SO many years that no memory re-
mains. Yet am | very fair, Kallikrates!''
II hate thee. murdcreSs, and ! do not
wish To see thee. What is it to me how
fair thou art | hate thee, | say"
Yet within a very little space shalt thou
creep to my knee, and swear that thou dost
love me-, answered Aycsha, with "A sweet,
hooking laugh. Come, there is no time
like the present time: here, before this
dead girl who loved thee, let us put it to
the proof.
Look now on me, kallikrates," and
with a sudden motion she shook her gauzy
covering from her, and stood forth in her
low kirtle and her snaky zone, in her glor
ious, radiant beauty and her imperial
grace, rising from her wrappings, as it
were, like Venus from the wave. or Gale
tea from her marble, or n beautiful spirit
from the tomb. She stood forth, and fixed
her deep and glowing eyes upon his own,
and / saw his Clinched fists unclasp, and
his set and quivering features relax be
meath her gaze. | saw his wonder and as
constituent grow into "dmiration, and
then into fascination; and the more he
struggled the more | saw the power of her
dread beauty fastcn on him and take pos
session of his senses, drugging them, and
drawing the heart ont Of him. Did / not
know the process? Had not |, who was
twice his age, gone through ii myselfi
Was | not going through il afresh even
then, though her sweet aud passionate
gaze was not for me? Yes, alas, | was.
Alas, that | should have to confess that at
that very moment | was rent by mad and
furious jealousy. | could have flown at his
throat, shame upon me! That woman had
COMPOUNDED and almost destroyed my moral
sense, rs she was bound to confound all
who looked upon her superhuman lowell
ness. But, somehow, do not know how,
i got the better of myself, and once more
turned TO see the climax of the tragedy.
"Oh.' gasped Leo; art thou a womant"
"a woman in truth-in very truth-and
thine own spouse, kallikrates.' She an
swerad, stretching out her rounded ivory
arms toward him, and smiling, an, SO
sweetly
He looked and looked, and slowly | per
ccived that he was drawing nearer to her,
Suddenly his eye fell upon the corpse of
poor Ustane, and he shuddercd and stopped.
How can ~ lie said, hoarsely. Thou
art n murderess. She loved me
Observe, he was already forgetting that
he had loved her.
1T is naught,' she murmurcd, and her
voice sounded sweet as the night wind
passing through the trees. 1t is naught
ut all. If /! have sinned, let my beauty an
Swer for my sin. II have sinned, it is for
the love Of thee; let my sin, therefore, be
put away and forgotten and once more
she stretched out her arms and whispered,
Come and then in another few seconds
II was over. | saw him struggle saw
him even turn 10 fly; but her eyes drew
him stronger than iron bonds, aud the
magiC of her beauty and concentrated will
and passion entered into him and oyerpOW-
cred him-ay, even therein the presence
of the body Of the woLan who had loved